7 Signs You Have Allergies—and Not Just a Cold

Throughout chilly and flu season, it’s a fairly protected wager that congestion, sneezing, and a runny nostril are indicators you’re coming down with one thing. However when bushes are blossoming or their leaves are falling, how are you going to inform if in case you have a chilly or simply allergic reactions?

It’s a standard query, says Purvi Parikh, MD, an allergist and immunologist with Allergy & Bronchial asthma Community and Allergy & Bronchial asthma Associates of Murray Hill in New York Metropolis, and a difficult one, even for docs. The signs, particularly when gentle, may be practically an identical, she tells us.

That’s why we tapped three specialists to determine precisely methods to distinguish allergy signs from indicators of a chilly. Listed below are the most important indicators your sniffling is more than likely on account of seasonal allergic reactions.

RELATED: 11 Indicators It’s Extra Critical Than the Widespread Chilly

Your mucus is evident

Bear with us as we get just a little gross: “To start with, each colds and allergic reactions will trigger a transparent, liquid mucus,” explains David Rosenstreich, MD, director of the division of allergy and immunology within the division of drugs at Albert Einstein School of Drugs and Montefiore Medical Heart in New York. “Because the signs go on, with a chilly you begin getting a thicker, yellow mucus, whereas often with allergic reactions mucus at all times stays clear and watery.”

RELATED: 9 Gross Questions About Mucus You’ve got All the time Wished to Ask

Your cough is dry

Throat signs may be much more tough to inform aside, however there’s often one telltale distinction: When you occur to be residing by the disagreeable state of affairs of coughing up mucus, you most likely have a chilly. “Even when the mucus is evident, you’re extra probably within the chilly enviornment,” Dr. Parikh says. “Often allergic reactions have a dry cough.”

Allergy symptoms may additionally trigger some throat irritation, however often not an excessive amount of ache. “Folks with a chilly will typically develop a sore throat, and that’s virtually by no means seen with an allergy,” says Dean D. Metcalfe, MD, chief of the laboratory of allergic illnesses on the Nationwide Institute of Allergy and Infectious Illnesses.

Your eyes are itchy and watery

When you would possibly discover some redness or discomfort round your eyes once you’re sick with a chilly, it’s extra probably that allergic reactions are inflicting eye signs like watering and itching, Dr. Rosenstreich says.

Your nostril and throat would possibly really feel itchy with a chilly, says Dr. Metcalfe, however a chilly often doesn’t have an effect on the eyes. Allergy symptoms may additionally trigger some swelling across the eyes, provides Dr. Parikh.

RELATED: 9 Causes Your Eyes Are So Watery–and What to Do About It

Your signs linger

A chilly will usually run its course after three to 5 days on common, Dr. Parikh says, or perhaps cling round for every week. Allergy signs–particularly with steady publicity to allergens–can final for for much longer.

However, in case you’re capable of transfer away from the allergen triggering your signs–a lot simpler if the offending agent is another person’s pet, for instance, somewhat than ubiquitous pollen, Dr. Metcalfe says–you would possibly really feel practically immediately higher. That merely received’t occur if in case you have a chilly.

You discover a seasonal sample

When you’re the kind of one who swears they get the identical chilly each March, it is likely to be time to rethink. “When you discover it’s seasonal like clockwork, and each spring or fall you get these signs, it is likely to be allergy-related,” Dr. Parikh says.

That holds true even when your seasonal signs happen sooner than you would possibly consider as allergy season, Dr. Rosenstreich says. “Within the Northeast, for instance, most individuals usually are not conscious of the truth that the bushes start to pollinate even when there’s nonetheless snow on the bottom. Relying on the climate, folks can have allergy signs in February.”

RELATED: 12 Indicators You are Having an Allergic Response

You don’t spike a fever

Colds (and naturally the flu) are more likely to trigger a fever than allergic reactions, though it’s attainable for extreme allergic reactions to raise your physique temperature, Dr. Rosenstriech says.

“Fever just about by no means occurs with allergic reactions,” says Dr. Metcalfe.

You can get away from bed

Whereas allergic reactions can definitely make you’re feeling drained and run down, colds (or the flu!) usually tend to trigger the aches and pains that ship you straight to mattress, Dr. Parikh says.

The right way to deal with colds vs. allergic reactions

On the finish of the sneeze-filled day, it’s truly not all that vital to determine if in case you have a chilly or allergic reactions. “For many run-of-the-mill allergy or chilly signs, the therapies are about the identical, so it actually doesn’t matter an excessive amount of in case you attempt to inform them aside,” Dr. Rosenstreich says. “With a chilly, you most likely don’t need to go into work and make everybody else sick, whereas with allergic reactions, folks will simply inform you to not come close to them, however you’re not truly contagious.”

Each allergy and chilly therapies are what’s referred to as symptomatic, he explains, which means they received’t make the difficulty go away; they’ll solely deal with the signs which can be making you depressing. Specialists usually suggest over-the-counter oral decongestants and antihistamines in addition to nasal sprays to scale back irritation and congestion in each instances, Dr. Parikh says.

When you’ve bought a chilly–or one other virus–that’s inflicting physique aches or a fever, you may also need to attempt one thing to ease the ache and decrease your temperature, like acetaminophen or aspirin, Dr. Metcalfe provides. (When you have bronchial asthma, you may additionally want to make use of your inhaler to deal with coughing or wheezing, which might be triggered by each colds and allergic reactions.)

Whereas getting loads of relaxation may help you recover from a chilly, it received’t do a lot for allergic reactions. Nonetheless, make sure you drink loads of fluids, regardless of your difficulty. “Dehydration makes allergic reactions and colds worse,” Dr. Parikh says. “Fluids assist relieve congestion.”